ATHENS, Ohio – Playing in its second match of the day, Virginia Tech's volleyball team won 3-1 over Ohio on Friday night behind four Hokies owning 10 or more kills at the Bobcat Invitational inside the Convocation Center.
Right-side hitter Jaila Tolbert led the way, racking up a season-high 17 kills on a .467 hitting percentage and four blocks. Outside hitter Kaity Smith (12 kills) posted her second double-double of the day, outside hitter Ester Talamazzi (10 kills) was one dig shy of the same feat and middle blocker Marisa Cerchio (12 kills) hit a team-high clip of .500.
The first set was a back-and-forth-affair in front of the home crowd, with many momentum swings in action – 18 ties and six lead changes. No team gained a greater advantage than three points until Tech (8-0) took a 24-21 lead. However, the Bobcats (3-6) finished the frame on a 5-0 run to win, 26-24.
Ohio started the second stanza with a 10-7 lead and then stretched it to 17-13, but Cerchio put down a kill and Talamazzi turned in an ace, making momentum switch to the Hokies' side. Tech would go on a 12-4 run and put the exclamation point on the comeback with a combination block by Cerchio and Tolbert to win 25-21.
Once again getting down early, the Hokies trailed 8-2 and would kick it into gear by tying the match up at 13-all in the third set, following another combo block by Cerchio and Tolbert. Tech would take the lead and never give it back, with Smith recording three kills in the final stretch to help the Hokies win 25-21.
This time around, Tech jumped out ahead, leading 12-6 to force an Ohio timeout. The six-point lead would grow as the Hokies finished the final frame with a nine-point win, 25-16.
Jaime Kosiorek led the Bobcats with a team-high 16 kills, four digs and two service aces.
NOTES
- Tolbert's season-high 17 kills were the third-most of her career. The Minnesota native's .467 hitting percentage was the third time this year and the 34th match of her career hitting north of .400.
- Smith finished with 12 kills, 13 digs, two aces and blocks, marking her fourth double-double of the season and the ninth of her career. She now has had 12 aces in her last five matches.
- After scooping up her 1,000th dig earlier in the day, junior Carol Raffety turned in a team-high 14 digs, four assists and an ace.
- Talamazzi was very close to her second double-double of the day, registering 10 kills, nine digs and an ace and assist. With her cracking the double-digit kill on the night, it marked her third consecutive match of 10 or more kills. The Italy native hasn't done that three matches in a row since Oct. 8-15, 2016, versus Notre Dame, North Carolina and NC State.
- Redshirt senior Rhegan Mitchell was close to a double-double, too, posting 42 assists, nine digs and three kills. Her 40-plus assists was the third time she has done that this year.
- Cerchio again had an efficient hitting percentage, hitting .500 on 12 kills and also had six blocks. The Cincinnati, Ohio native, playing in her home state, has hit over .400 four times this season.
QUOTING HEAD COACH JILL WILSON
"I was really proud of several of our hitters," Tech Head Coach Jill Wilson said. "They got stopped a few times and still stayed aggressive. We talked a lot about our mentality tonight from start to finish. So, I was very proud of Rhegan [Mitchell] running a very balanced offense and for our hitters remaining aggressive even though they got stopped a few times.
"I think, honestly, in the long run of our season, I'm glad that (losing the closely contested first set) happened because it really showed our team that they can handle failure, bounce back and fight against a very good Ohio team. That was a big step for our program to come back from that in the way we did.
"The biggest thing tomorrow is that we recover tonight, that was a long day, and just making sure that we're taking care of our bodies. We need to get ready to play against a very feisty team in Samford, which doesn't make a lot of errors."
STAT OF THE MATCH
- For the second time this season, Tech had four players have 10 or more kills in a match. It did it earlier this year against Charlotte on Aug. 25. It's only happened three times in the Jill Wilson era, with Tech being 2-1 in those matches.
WHAT IS NEXT
- The Hokies will be back at the Convocation Center on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET to take on Samford (3-6), closing the Bobcat Invitational.
